How easy to add USB to a 1993 hass lathe?

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Richard_W
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How easy to add USB to a 1993 hass lathe?

Post by Richard_W »

How easy is it to add USB port to a 1993 HAAS lathe? It has a 3 1/2" drive now which isn't working.

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neanderman
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Re: How easy to add USB to a 1993 hass lathe?

Post by neanderman »

Are there any ports, like an RS-232?
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Re: How easy to add USB to a 1993 hass lathe?

Post by Harold_V »

Mark Hockett was talking about USB ports for the Haas. He suggested that they were available, although I've not searched to determine they are. Anyway, he suggested that it could be done for less than $50, directly from Haas (I think that's what he said).

If you research and learn more, please post accordingly. My Haas is also equipped with the 3½" drive (which is functional).

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Re: How easy to add USB to a 1993 hass lathe?

Post by John Hasler »

If it has a serial port (RS232) you want a USB to serial adapter like this:

http://www.usconverters.com/usb-serial- ... 43cd79fdac

There are many other sources. Try to get one with an FTDI chip. The machine may have RS422: these people have USB converters for that too.
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Re: How easy to add USB to a 1993 hass lathe?

Post by choprboy »

I don't have a Haas, but at one point I had done some research when I was thinking about getting an old one to play around with (still don't have the time or space...). Apparently it is pretty easy to convert one, as long as the Haas had the floppy drive option installed. You just replace the floppy drive (or add one in the floppy option slot) with a floppy-to-usb drive. You are still limited to a maximum of 1.44MB size, but apparently with some versions you can make folders on the USB drive as virtual disks and "swap" them from the front panel. Some examples, no particular information on what works best:
https://www.plrelectronics.com/floppy-to-usb/
https://www.amazon.com/Floppy-Emulator- ... B01MXPUM5T
https://www.shopfloorautomations.com/ha ... -emulator/

Or... setup a little PC at the Haas and drip feed commands over the RS232.
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Re: How easy to add USB to a 1993 hass lathe?

Post by Richard_W »

The machine has parallel ports which I think are the D25. I would have to check to be sure. We couldn't get the USB to serial port with a parallel adapter to work. Also a working 3 1/2" drive from a computer didn't work for some reason. Anyway today they got a USB emulator to replace the floppy drive this morning and that works just fine. Thanks for the information.

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Re: How easy to add USB to a 1993 hass lathe?

Post by John Hasler »

A DB25 connector is not necessarily a parallel port. DB25 is the correct connector for RS232. The DE9 serial port connectors found on pcs are non-standard (though nearly universal). RS422 also uses DB25 connectors. (I'm abusing the standards and ignoring some details)
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Re: How easy to add USB to a 1993 hass lathe?

Post by neanderman »

John Hasler wrote: Tue Dec 11, 2018 10:21 pm A DB25 connector is not necessarily a parallel port. DB25 is the correct connector for RS232. The DE9 serial port connectors found on pcs are non-standard (though nearly universal). RS422 also uses DB25 connectors. (I'm abusing the standards and ignoring some details)
Exactly. The DE9 serial ports were a later development.

That said, it appears you're good to go? Bravo!
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GlennW
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Re: How easy to add USB to a 1993 hass lathe?

Post by GlennW »

Just for reference, this is the USB to Serial adapter that I use for CNC and it works.

https://www.amazon.com/GOLDX-USB-Serial ... B000Q7A7CI

I recall at the time I was looking for one, not all adapter cables seemed to work for CNC use, but this one was highly recommended.
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Re: How easy to add USB to a 1993 hass lathe?

Post by dnevil »

I replaced the 3.5” drive on my 1997 Haas VF0E with a floppy emulator that accepts a thumb drive. Works great.
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Re: How easy to add USB to a 1993 hass lathe?

Post by Steggy »

Floppy drives are still readily available. In fact, I maintain a small inventory of Teac 3-1/2 inch drives for my clients whose machines have them.

As for USB, you should know you are significantly limited in cable length—the outer limit is three meters, less with USB 2.0, and even less with USB 3.0. Unless you plan to stand right next to the machine with a laptop, a USB port will be of very limited value.

Most shop machines have serial ports (TIA-232/422/485) or Ethernet ports, which allow the signals to be propagated over much greater distances without error. TIA-232 and Ethernet are generally reliable to 100 meters. TIA-422 or TIA-485 can be run out to over a kilometer if the data rates aren't too high. Most shop networks are built on TIA-485 due to its reliability over long distances and inherent resistance to electrical interference from nearby machines, especially arc welders.
John Hasler wrote:If it has a serial port (RS232) you want a USB to serial adapter like this:
I don't have much faith in those things. Most of them don't fully implement the TIA-232 standard for hardware flow control.
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Re: How easy to add USB to a 1993 hass lathe?

Post by Steggy »

John Hasler wrote: Tue Dec 11, 2018 10:21 pm A DB25 connector is not necessarily a parallel port. DB25 is the correct connector for RS232. The DE9 serial port connectors found on pcs are non-standard (though nearly universal). RS422 also uses DB25 connectors. (I'm abusing the standards and ignoring some details)
Further confusing things was IBM's decision to use a DB-25 for the Centronics port (aka parallel port) on the original IBM PC, even though a standard connector for that interface was already in use. It was part of IBM's vendor lock-in effort to keep people from using non-IBM printers.
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